Running in the Snow

I missed out on running in December's blizzard and was quite disappointed. Today, I didn't miss the opportunity. I ran 9 miles in the heavy snow.

I thought of going out for the run before work, but I just didn't have enough recovery from last night's run. I wasn't too sore at the time though. I held off until after work and luckily, the snow did too. I was starting on my way home, but not sticking. I was surprised when a half hour later, there was already a decent accumulation as I started out.

When I began, the snow was just a thin layer on the ground. It was still too thin and actually made footing quite slippery. I battled it out along Kelly Drive. I debated breaking the run up into a number of short out and backs, in case I couldn't finish. I felt so good that I kept going until Falls Bridge though.

Around the bridge, my IT band bothered me a little. By that point though, the snow was a good inch or so thick. Going uphills was tough as the terrain was slippery. The rest of the time was great though. I had good footing and the impact was much softer than on asphalt. It was so obvious as I ran under bridges and on the regular pavement. My legs held up pretty good.

I just focused on mile by mile on the way back. I knew that I'd be able to finish the run, but wasn't sure if I could pick up the pace. The final 15 minutes were supposed to be at moderate pace. I was running a respectable pace before that, considering the conditions.

I did finish fairly strong and ran quite hard through the final two miles. With wind blowing at my face, it was a relief to finally be done. The scenery was amazing during this nighttime snowy run.

My attire was a big help. I wore a Nike hat with my headband over it. That really helped keep a lot of snow directly out of my eyes. I still ate quite a bit of it though. I had my jacket on and hood up too. It was fairly warm, but actually turned out to be quite comfortable as the run went on. I thought I would be too hot.

I guess everyone got out to run earlier in the evening before the snow hit. The only person I saw during the entire route, was a guy walking. There were some footprints and bike tire tracks in the snow, so someone was out there a little earlier. Finally, after I stopped at Lloyd Hall, I saw another runner go by. I was actually nearly hit by a plow during the run because I didn't expect him to be on the path.

My IT band and hip feel pretty good right now. My left calf is very sore yet again. I'll have to work on massaging and resting it. I'd love to run tomorrow for another 4 miles and get in 40 for the week again. It's probably wiser to pass on it and rest though, especially with how much snow they are forecasting. Today's run was a blast and I look forward to running in the snow again. It's days like this that'll make the spring runs seem like a breeze.

9 miles - 1:12:54 (8:06 pace)